VIDEO: Men's Basketball Alumni Event
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - A late run by Loyola Marymount turned a four-point deficit to a grind out 65-59 win over Santa Clara men's basketball in a West Coast Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions (9-17, 3-9) and the Broncos went back and forth in the first 10 minutes of the second half with neither team able to pull ahead by more than four.
Josip Vrankic scored seven straight to give Santa Clara its biggest lead of the half at 44-40 but LMU tallied the next nine points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer by Jordan Bell and never looked back.
Santa Clara (18-9, 5-7) closed to within four in the waning seconds on back-to-back 3-pointers by Jalen Wiliams but Lions sank all six free throws in the final 34 seconds to send the Broncos to their third straight loss.
Scott led all scorers with 19 while Bell added 13 and nine rebounds for the Lions who snapped a five-game losing streak.
Vrankic scored 17, including 13 in the second half. Williams had 14 and Jaden Bediako recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards for the Broncos.
The game saw 15 lead changes but none in the final 8 minutes of action. The Lions outscored the Broncos 25-15 in the final 10 minutes.
Santa Clara had only two field goals from the 11:04 mark of the second half until there 40 seconds on the clock.
The Broncos got off to a hot-shooting start in the opening half, hitting eight of their first 11 shots to open a 19-12 lead, their largest of the game. But with the Lions switching to a 2-3 zone, the Broncos cooled off going on a 6 1/2-minute scoring drought.
LMU scored nine in a row during that stretch to go up 21-19 before Williams' 3-pointer ended the drought but LMU entered the half with a 28-27 lead.
NOTES
• In a series that began in 1937, Santa Clara holds a 91-63 lead. The teams have split the last 12 meet-ings, but the Lions have won the last four. The teams have split the regular-season series in five of the last seven years, but this was their lone meeting of the year. LMU has won four of the last eight in Santa Clara.
• As part of Alumni weekend, players and coaches who were members of the program from 1960 to 1980 were recognized during halftime including legendary coaches Dick Garibaldi and Carroll Williams. Some of the players in attendance included Dennis Awtrey, Kevin Eagleson, Bud Ogden, Eric Paulson, Gene Shields, Mike Stewart, Eddie Joe Chavez and Russ Vrankovich.
• Guglielmo Caruso (right lower leg) missed his 11th game (in the last 12). He played five minutes in Thursday's loss to San Francisco. That marked his first action since Dec. 29 against Alcorn State.
• Juan Ducasse (ankle) and Giordan Williams (ankle) were each unavailable for the second-straight game.
• Jaden Bediako (12 points/11 rebounds) hit double figures in scoring for the fourth straight game and recorded his second double-double. He 11 points and 10 rebounds at Gonzaga (Jan. 16).
• Bediako had a career-high five blocked shots and now leads the team with 24.
• Jalen Williams (14 points) hit double figures in scoring for the ninth game this season, including three of the last six.
We welcomed back more than 80 former players and coaches this weekend, an initiative that was spearheaded by Jim Romey '74. #TeamFirst | #StampedeAhead | #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/5cq96Lu1ik
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) February 16, 2020
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